Whispers at the Bottom of a Dry Well
by Veilwuarrah
Summary: "..and the young man found himself in a damn hole of a covered up dry well, with a cloaked sorcerer and an unconscious manservant." Not quite what Arthur had planned for a hunt. At. All. - Sometime after 'The Disir' S05E05; WARNING: angry!Merlin; whump
1. Chapter 1

***Peek* Merry Christmas? Happy New Year? Happy Birthday to Colin Morgan..? Happy Birthday to J.R.R Tolkien? To me?**

**Yehh.. It's been a while. I know. I know! I took my sweet time with this one, but it has been a busy busy year. I apologise for being so inactive and off the radar, but I _have_ been typing all year, just not quite getting there to post_...till now.._**

**Few words on the fic: This here started out as a oneshot, but then it just kept growing.. o.O _(Out of control!)_ So I decided to make it a 3 chapter fic, however it still grew, so I think it will be a standard 7-chapter..**

**Dedicated to Ddiweth.. because..reasons. xx Hope you all enjoy the read, don't be sparse with feedback! And I wish you all a very happy new year .. may this year be blessed as well with love and creativity~ ..and of course.. with COURAGE, STRENGTH and MAGIC!**

**Read on!**

**.*.**

Arthur delivered a punch and observed the desired effect play out in front of him, as the cloaked figure slumped back on the ground with a rather disappointed and high pitched _"uff"_.

The king let himself lean back against the earthen wall as well, trying to catch his breath with a cough here and there as the dust and debris cleared around them. He didn't know what he was waiting for; it wasn't like the hole they just fell in is going to get any brighter.

But just where did all this go so wrong so fast? And what Gods are making it their amusement to mess up each and every time he goes hunting? Perhaps Merlin's prayers were finally starting to pay off against him for _"hunting innocent animals"_.

_That was an idea!__H_e picked his head up towards another figure in the dim light, laying on his side with his back towards the king and tried to wave the dust away, to get a better look at him.

_"Merl.. Mer..lin!"_ He called out, infusing the name with a few coughs, but he got no reply. In the struggle to get some dry branches off himself he accidentally kicked the young man's leg, but that didn't give him a reaction either.

_Just what the hell happened?_ He wondered.

_"Merlin!" _Still no answer.

He could recall a cloaked figure appearing seemingly out of nowhere, earlier; - _just after he told the servant for the umpteenth time to hold his mouth already_, - then the figure raised his hand and spoke words, - Arthur presumed to be - of the old religion, and before he knew it Merlin was pushing him out of the way, yelling something, the spell no doubt hitting the raven-hair full blow and when they reached the ground in a noisy landing, he wasn't moving anymore. _He was just so still;_ and the thought made Arthur's heart jump uncomfortably in his chest.

The cloaked figure then yelped a desperate "No!" and rushed to their side, dropping himself on his knees next to the servant, and in that moment the king realized the ground sounded a bit too hollow underneath, but before he could take a breath to shout anything, there was cracking sounds and the _'ground'_ gave in below them and the young man found himself in a damn hole of a covered up dry well, with a cloaked sorcerer and an unconscious manservant.

.*.

He wondered if he will wake up to Merlin dragging him out of bed again, and this whole thing will prove to be nothing more than a lousy dream. - _Yes, that would be nice._

Then he would have no choice but to look up at his manservant's idiotic grin, as the young man observed the _mighty_ display, that was the king laying tangled in sheets on the ground, very much out of bed and very much annoyed; - _like on most mornings, come to think of it_. Perhaps even cursing and threatening him with the stocks; - but no doubt the younger man would just smile at that too, with his usual smirk and pull him to his feet instead, not minding the blonde's threats. – However that wasn't the case now, no matter how much Arthur would have preferred it. (Even if he considered Merlin's 'wake-up's more often than not to be _'inhumane'_, _'disrespectful'_ and _'really asking for it'_.)

_But no, this wasn't a dream. His aching limbs confirmed as much._

The blonde was still struggling to catch his breath and get himself free of the planks and branches that fell in with them, keeping an eye on the cloaked figure all the while, but their mysterious attacker wasn't moving.

Arthur called out to his manservant a few more times but the lack of reply just made his worry grow. He finally managed to untangle himself from some stubborn branches that were caught in his ripped trousers and tossing it aside he rolled over to his servant, who had his back towards them; _worryingly_ unmoving.

"Merlin?" the king spoke and grabbed the man's shoulder.

At this moment, the cloaked figure started to stir, so without further inspection, Arthur pushed himself up, pulling his sword out and pointed the blade straight at his face with a quick move, successfully making him motionless once again.

"Who are you?" The king growled, but got no reply, so he used the sword to pull off the hood of the cloak and stared surprised at the face it uncovered. It was a boy. Not a child anymore but certainly not someone of age. He had a bruise on one cheek and a cut lip – Arthur presumed it was his doing, but even if he felt bad about hitting a youngster, he had no way of knowing who he was. His hair was messy, similar to Arthur's in colour, and he had dark eyes that now were fixed on the king's sword, and only when Arthur called out to him did he look up.

"What is your name?"

"Leigh."

"Are you a druid?" Arthur ran his gaze though him incredulously. His wears were raggedy and dirty, but certainly resembled that of a druid's.

"Yes."

"Why did you attack us?"

"I didn't.. I.." he wavered, running his gaze between the two of them, but then coming to some sort of resolve he continued "I was attacking _you_ alone!" He swallowed. ".._Sire_.. Not him.." He said and trailed off again looking worriedly at the still warlock. "I didn't mean to.."

Arthur frowned, then followed his gaze to his own hand that still rested on Merlin's shoulder, for a moment wondering why the boy showed concern for the servant, but wanted to attack a king.

"Well, you have failed." He stated, not really sure what to make of the strange confession. "But I _swear_, if anything has happened to this man because of you.." He didn't get to finish his threat, the young druid was already near tears.

"Oh Gods!" The boy mumbled in shock, his determination fast crumbling. "Oh Gods.. _NO!_ I killed him?" He fidgeted in despair, running his gaze between the king and the servant, obviously wanting to check on the later, but held in place by the threat of the blade, making him all the more jittery. "Oh no… they are going to kill me… no.. not Emr.."

"Who?" Arthur picked his head up, raising his sword slightly and the boy backed into the wall once again.

Leigh shook his head in denial and bit into his bottom lip, as if words would escape without his consent if he were to leave his mouth open for too long.

_"WHO?"_ The king bellowed and the echo of the well made his voice tenfold louder.

"NO ONE!" the boy shrieked almost crying.

"Who are you working for?"

The young druid just bit his lip again and shook his head vehemently. It was clear the boy wasn't exactly in charge of his doings.

"Who put you up to this?" Arthur questioned.

At that, Leigh tried to compose himself and seem strong and determined, but he was failing miserably at it and all he could come up with is another set of headshaking, all the while couldn't keep his eyes off the manservant. It was a fine mess he landed himself in. The warlock was unconscious and he was stuck with an angry Pendragon.

"No harm will come to you, just speak the truth. Who are you afraid of..?" Arthur asked again, forcing some calmness into his tone.

"My.. my… p-parents."

It took a moment for the answer to catch up with Arthur as his eyebrows wandered up towards his hairline. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.

"This is ridiculous." He concluded with a huff and rolled his eyes in annoyance, looking at the boy, who was now so obviously just a child. "Why would they..?" he started, but wasn't even sure how to finish the question.

"Because they don't know I'm here.." the reply came anyway, though barely audible.

_"Right."_ Arthur sighed. This had to be a joke. "Don't. Move." He said pointedly and let his sword down, instead turning back to his manservant, and rolling him on his back.

"Merlin? Can you hear me?"

"He's not dead, is he?" Leigh asked and he was next to Arthur all of a sudden, startling the blonde with the speed he darted from next to the wall and before the king could say anything, his hands were already prodding around the servant's neck, obviously trying to find a pulse.

"What are you doing?!" The king snapped, swatting the boy's hands away from his servant's neck. Leigh cradled his slapped wrist in front of him, but kept mumbling with worry, while he ran his gaze back and forth from master to servant.

"He shouldn't be.. _dead_. Not unless from the fall.." The boy bit his lip.

"Why would you care?" Arthur glared at him. "You just attacked us!"

"I _do_ care!" he protested, and looked at the manservant.

"Back. Off." The king hissed, making a point by gripping his sword and the boy scurried back a bit, looking like he will start crying any minute now. The young man of course had no intention to harm the child, but that didn't mean, said child needed to know that.

Arthur sighed and decided to focus on the man in front of him instead; _and figure this brat out later._

Merlin had a bloody scratch around his temple, disappearing into his hairline, but that could've been the result of the fall. Removing his gloves, Arthur tilted the servant's head to the side and gingerly brushed the dark flocks back and forth, peering at the damage, but it appeared to be nothing serious of what he could observe in the dim light. The king tried shaking him, tried gently slapping his face and calling out to him, but got no reaction and figured with a head injury, no matter how small looking, he shouldn't try jostling him more, even though he'd need him to wake up somehow.

His skin was warm, but Arthur decided to look for a pulse again to be sure it wasn't the worse scenario playing out, but that too proved to be difficult.

"Damn it, Merlin.. Why do you wear this stupid thing anyway.." he muttered to himself in annoyance when the neckerchief twisted and covered the man's neck in an impossible way, keeping the king's fingers from getting access to the servant's neck in search for life signs. Arthur jerked the material to get it loose, pulling his tunic as well to the side; then something caught his attention and he froze. A second later he pulled the tunic further and just stared at the sight.

"What's that?" Leigh seemed just as observant, and the king cursed him for it in that moment, as they looked down at the neat bandages covering Merlin's shoulder; _bandages Arthur had no idea of being there._

"Don't know.." he mumbled and traced his fingers, pushing his hand under his servant's top to see the extent of the wraps.

"_You don't know?! _He serves you! He's been injured and you aren't even aware of it?!" the druid boy snapped and Arthur felt his face burn both from the annoyance and the obvious truth in the words. He really hadn't known Merlin's been injured. What made him feel worse was that he couldn't guess _what_ and just _when_ that had happened. Merlin was with him almost at all times. Gaius surely knew, these here his bandages after all..

_Gaius._

_Of course.._ A few days ago the man reported to him, telling the king, how he needed some rare herbs gathered urgently and needed Merlin's help, so his manservant will be unavailable for a day or two, and his servant was absent indeed for nearly two days. _But why lie in such manner?_

Arthur started to think. Was Merlin really out gathering herbs and getting himself hurt somehow –_ quite possible, considering how clumsy he is –_ but what if?.. what if he wasn't anywhere near the forest, but instead was laying injured in the physician's chambers; recovering from an injury that now needed bandages to cover his whole left shoulder and part of his chest. _Why didn't he just tell him the truth..?_

The blonde's hand instinctively went up to press against his servant's forehead again, but he felt his skin's temperature being normal. He was alive and apparently well, just unconscious. Maybe it's just a strained shoulder.

"He's bleeding!" Leigh yelped and he had his fingers gently feeling about a darker patch around the man's shoulder; and the king felt his stomach make an uncomfortable somersault when he too noticed the bloodied spot.

_Oh Gods. He was really injured. It wasn't just a pulled shoulder._

"Torn stitches perhaps..?" the question fell out of his mouth before he could control it.

"No.. it's dried." Leigh said with strange confidence, then with a quick move, he rolled Merlin on his side just enough to pull at his clothes and peering at the bandages on the back of his shoulder, finding no speck on them. "It's clear.." he mumbled rolling the warlock back, "It bled before though. I could.. check it, but it's best to leave it as it is for now, it's not very clean here, and there isn't much light. Just need to watch it, to see if the patch grows. Or he develops a fever, though that is unlikely.. It has been tended to, so would be best not to disturb it." He said, all the while he checked Merlin's eyes and pulse and the bloody patch on his temple with efficiency.

Arthur looked at him baffled.

"I'm.. I'm a healer in training." He mumbled when he realized the king was looking at him.

"A healer in training." Arthur stared at him. "And _you_ attacked _us?_ _Might telling me what the hell for?"_ _he questioned and couldn't help raising his voice a little. It all started to look like they landed in this mess for what seemed to be turning into something of a childish joke._"Why would you attack your _king_?"

"I wouldn't!.. I won't tell!" Leigh shrieked, being well aware of what that could mean. "I just.. I w-wanted you out of the way.. I.. I.. was.." Leigh tried to compose an answer but by now he was too nervous and the king was getting too upset.

_"_What have you done to him?" Arthur snapped with growing anger; because a child's silly joke just may have caused harm to his _friend_ and now they were sitting ducks in a ditch until someone would find them and make the effort to get them out; and whatever those bandages were covering could be figured out later, but right now Merlin was unconscious and they were stuck and that was more urgent to solve.

"Nothing.. it's.. it's just a sleeping spell, I promise.." The frightened answer was barely audible.

_"A sleeping spell?"_Arthur could hardly believe his ears.

"Yes, yes.. he is fine, I promise.." Leigh tried to assure him. "I never meant to harm anyone! Not even you..I mean.. it _was _meant for you, not him, but it wasn't going to harm you and I'd never hurt _him!_ Especially not him! I-I just.. wanted to talk to him, without you interfering.."

"_Interfering?_ In what?! What is it that you want of my servant?" Arthur asked again and he was again gripping the hilt of his sword, probably not even realizing it. Leigh, however did notice and keeping an eye on the blade he slowly backed away again, wary of the Pendragon's anger.

"I wanted.. to talk to him…I just.. Is all, I swear!" The boy spoke, voice growing frantic, more so when he saw Arthur began to lift his sword. "Please! I meant no harm! _Mercy!_" He had backed as far as he could and covered his head with his arms, awaiting what's to come.

But nothing came. The king lowered the weapon eventually, sliding it back into it's place and just sighed. He wasn't going to harm him. Not really. Though surely there were reasons, Arthur didn't want to think why a druid would want to attack him in the first place. It all seemed too out of place: a healer attacking with a sleeping spell and he is scared of his parents finding out. There had to be an explanation for what had happened, but so far he couldn't get much out of the boy, - at least not much that actually made sense. _Just what did he mean by talking to Merlin without him interfering?! _The king decided to calm down and clear his mind a little before speaking again. Instead he checked Merlin over again, then coming to the conclusion that there isn't much else to do but wait, he stood up to figure out their next move.

Leigh was curled up against the wall, eyes fixed on the unconscious man, only giving a fugitive look at the king every now and again. Arthur decided not to notice it. Instead, he observed the earthen walls of the hole they fell in; oddly a little wider then what one would expect a well to be. On some parts of the wall the rocks had caved in, other parts grown in with moss, but it was mostly dry. _Least as much_, - he thought as he glanced up, and noticed it wasn't even all that deep, but just deep enough to prevent them from climbing out. He tried reaching the edge of the planks, but once a piece of wood broke off in his grip, he knew he wouldn't be able to just pull himself out; not without help in any case. Tossing the piece of wood aside, it crossed his mind to lift the boy out and.. _hope he gets help and doesn't simply run off?_ No, he couldn't trust him enough for that. Not to mention the rest of the makeshift lid could just cave in on them. And it would be foolish to yell for help in these woods, so might as well get comfortable and wait for someone to notice their absence in the castle; which again, could take a while, seeing that he made it clear he was going hunting.

Arthur slumped back against the wall with a huff. He just started to notice he had a few bumps here and there as well, but neither felt any different than a good workout on the training grounds. And he had bigger problems now then a few blue marks and bruises. He felt a little guilty thinking Merlin may have broken his fall, but he didn't want to linger on it long. Looking at the man, he saw no change; Merlin was breathing steady and calm and gave no sign of wanting to wake up.

This certainly wasn't what the king had in mind when he wanted to go hunting. Personally, the emphasis was on getting away from the castle, and the bustle of the place, instead of the actual hunt. He just wanted to get away for a short while from the meetings and patrols and hearings and reports and duties and just be himself. And he had wanted to take Merlin along, because the man just seems stressed for some reason and even questioning him why he hadn't smiled in days got nothing out of him, but a grouchy reply. Not even comparing his face to the back end of a cat had the desired effect of usual banter. Thus the king decided to take matters into his own hand and recalling Merlin's fascination with all things nature, he decided a 'hunting trip' was the ideal getaway they both needed. No crest, no knights, just the two of them on a hunt. _Then this happens.._

Looking at their odd companion, it occurred to Arthur that despite asking the question more than once, he still hadn't gotten a proper answer as to why Leigh had attacked them – _or rather, attacked "just him"_. The boy kept his gaze on the servant and looked worried. The king concluded he needs a different approach if he wants answers.

"You could have just walked up to him, you know. If you wanted to talk. There was no need to attack us for it." The blonde spoke eventually, breaking the silence. "Merlin is happy to talk to anyone. Even when he should be shutting up, he still talks." He added, but felt there was some inaccuracy in that. True, Merlin _had been_ happy to talk to people, but not lately. Lately he's been more gloomy then talkative; less cheery; focused, closed off and almost jittery, but Arthur kept this realization to himself.

He guessed that the boy wanted to talk to the man for his knowledge in the healing arts. Although he made fun of the servant on several occasions, he had to admit, Merlin picked up quite a bit from Gaius over the years and he was the physician in the group whenever they went on patrol. In a way it made sense for the boy to approach him in the forest. Arthur had pardoned the druids, and there wasn't much left he could do for them, except to let time heal wounds and people to grow out of the fears his father had instilled in them. But people were still wary, and so were the druids; so naturally, they didn't venture into Camelot, if they could help it.

"He doesn't.." Leigh added, and seeing Arthur lift his head in interest, he continued. "My father met him a little while ago, and he wouldn't talk to him."

Arthur found that unusual. Merlin was with him most of the time and he couldn't remember meeting druids in a long time. He also marvelled if his servant was wary of druids himself. More than that he found it all a little intriguing. This was a side of Merlin he didn't know. _The physician Merlin._ "What did your father want to talk to him about?"

"I don't know.." the boy admitted with a shrug.

"And what did you want to talk to him about?"

"Things.." the boy said curtly and avoided looking at Arthur, pulling his arms tighter around his knees.

"Tell me. You are free to speak." The young man nudged him, a little amused at the childish stubbornness and leaned his head against the wall behind him. _This should be interesting,_ Arthur thought. It could even pass the time easier while they have to wait for some help to arrive.

Leigh looked at him in thought. He fell into a hole with the king of Camelot and the man still hasn't threatened to take his head. He had heard tales that Uther's son is different than his father had been; he had heard how Arthur had pardoned the druids and vowed to keep them safe, but he also heard it day and night, throughout his life, that his kind is better off not trusting a Pendragon.

However, he was trapped now. Surely the king's men will come looking for him and if they do get here sooner, he doubted the man will just let him go after what had happened. _Now or never,_ Leigh figured. He might as well face it and tell the king straight, if he might not get out of this mess alive.

"I wanted to talk to him.. about leaving you." He chanced.

_"What?"_ Arthur picked his head up.

"I wanted to ask him to join us, instead.."

"Merlin would never leave my side!" The king retorted immediately and it surprised him how confident he was in that statement. _Really._ Merlin never left him through all these years; though there were dire times and harsh times, people went and came and loyalties faltered and he could even recall himself not being particularly nice at times; _but his servant was still there._

"He should.." Leigh said with some weird conviction that made Arthur feel chills run up his back. "His place is with us. I wanted to ask him to come to the druid camp. To convince him that his place is amongst his people and that he should leave you and your wars and come to us!"

Arthur didn't know if he heard right, it felt surreal and almost like talking to a mad man, but eventually he spat out the part that most got him confused. "His people..?"

"Yes!" Leigh said thrilled.

"You do realize, that just because Merlin knows a few things about some herbs and healing arts, it doesn't make him a druid. If you need his help and knowledge however, all you need to do is ask." The king spoke.

"Emrys isn't a druid!" The boy snapped.

"Wh.. Emrys?"

"Him!" The boy pointed at the unconscious warlock.

Arthur looked at Merlin for a moment then just shook his head.

"I'm quite certain you are mistaking my servant with someone."

"No, I'm not! He is Emrys! The greatest sorcerer ever to walk the land! The prophecies say so!" The boy spoke with conviction and even moved away from the wall, as if his words would have more weight up close.

"Him?!" The conversation was heading in a direction that was making Arthur feel uncomfortable. Yes, he had pardoned the druids, but they kept to themselves and made no trouble. Others from the magic folk however, did show up every now and again at Camelot's doorstep and most of the times they had a hidden agenda and were out for his life. The idea that his loyal servant was a magic wielder was unthinkable. He started to get the feeling the druid boy hit his head on the way down. "There is no way my manservant is a sorcerer! _I would know!"_

"It's him!"

"_Listen._ You've got the wrong man." Arthur hissed. This was just getting too irksome for his liking. First they get attacked by a _child_, then they end up in a godforsaken hole, Merlin is injured and unaware; and now said child accuses his servant, his _friend_ to be a sorcerer. _And all he wanted was a day out hunting.._

_"He has magic!"_ The druid insisted.

The blonde's hand reached out so fast, Leigh had no time at all to realize what was going on, let alone react, as he found himself being gripped at the neck and pulled close to the king of Camelot;_ \- and oh boy, was the king angry._

"If he has.. and I do say **_IF_**_,_ then I'd still like to hear it from him, _not some delusional child_ accusing him, that had just attacked us for no sane reason!" Arthur said and it took all of his strength not to slap some sense into the boy. **"**_**Is that understood?!**_**"** He thundered and his self-control didn't stop him from giving the druid boy a good shake to empathize his words.

Leigh nodded in a matter it was weary his head will fall off, but once again he was biting his lips to keep his terrified whimpers escaping and as soon as Arthur tossed him aside he backed to the far wall, pulling his knees up and sat quietly, fearing the king might change his mind about not chopping his head off.

It was a real mess he got himself into. Thanks to him, Emrys was unconscious, supporting a mystery injury and he trapped with a very angry king. There was no telling when they will be able to get out of this place – _the well really double-crossed his calculations_ \- and right now even talking to Emrys seemed like a bad idea. He felt confident earlier, that he could convince the man to leave the king's side, and ask him to join their group instead, however he was starting to realise his idea could have really used a more thorough planning. He guessed even Emrys himself will be unhappy about their predicament when he wakes up. And he didn't even dare think what his parents will say when they find out what he had done..

Time dragged on slow and they sat in silence. Arthur noticed the boy closing his eyes a few times and furrowing his brows, but he was still too angry to ask if he was alright. It crossed his mind the druid was doing _something.._ but he figured he just doesn't want to know. Being close to anything even remotely magical made the hairs raise on his back, not to mention Merlin was out of it right now _because_ of magic.. – _And just how dare the brat accuse his manservant of such a thing?_ Merlin was clumsy and idiotic most times. Sure, he spoke with wisdom when Arthur needed it, he had even pulled him out of trouble a couple of times, and the king had to admit he had good insight on things regarding the kingdom. He was also growing into a physician under the guidance of Gaius, but he was still a servant; and above all, he has been _loyal_ to him like none else. The mere notion was ridiculous, that the man would betray him with something as low as practicing magic right under his nose. Not after all they had been through.

They sat in persistent and angry silence.

Arthur occasionally brushed though Merlin's hair, peering at the cut, but it had since stopped bleeding and was turning dark and dry; he paused his hand on the servant's forehead or hovered his palm in front of his nose to check for his breathing when he couldn't follow the rise and fall of his chest. It was slowly getting darker and harder to see. The evening seemed to find its way into the well faster.

Leigh was diligently calling out to the druids mentally. He was sure someone will hear him and come to their rescue. The only thing he wasn't looking forward to is having to face his parents and explain the mess he made. But at this point anything was better than to be stuck with the king, and Emrys still wasn't waking up; which puzzled him a little and was really getting worried whether the warlock had sustained any more serious injuries in the fall, that just don't show on the outside. He was also observing the blonde man checking on the warlock from time to time and noted that he looked quite worried too.

"Shouldn't he be waking up?" Arthur spoke eventually, because the silence was starting to annoy him.

"It's a powerful spell. Usually used when the injuries are grave. Wounds needing stitches, or bones needing set. It puts the patient in a deep sleep."

The blonde eyed him for a moment, then glanced over at Merlin again.

"However.." Leigh continued and Arthur looked up at him. "It also depends how serious the injury is.."

The king let out an uncomfortable sigh. Maybe the wound on Merlin's shoulder was a serious one indeed. In that case the induced sleep will do him good, but Arthur couldn't help but worry. This was magic… even if healing magic. He had pardoned the druids, but _this_.. This was still_ magic._ And so unusual it was to see that always lively face now all calm and oblivious to the world around him. He'd seen Merlin sleep, or even be restless and unconscious, but it has always disturbed him deeply. It was contradicting too much with the image he had of the younger man. However, Arthur could tell he was alright. No struggling to breathe, no fever or sweating, no nightmares to haunt him; he was simply asleep. And hopefully it was doing him good.

Meantime, Leigh gathered enough courage to stand and stretch his legs a bit, as well as observe the walls in hope of finding a way out. But no matter how much he tried to steady his feet, and grab onto the rocks, they fell out from the wall; he even tried grabbing onto some roots and branches and pulling himself up, but the dry vegetation couldn't hold him, and broke off in his grip, resulting in land and rocks tumbling down on him, and left the druid boy spitting dirt and rubbing dust out of his eyes.

"Stop that." Arthur called out after the third attempt. He'd already examined the walls well enough to know they weren't getting out without help. "You're going to burry us here if you keep it up."

"So, we're just supposed to sit here?" The boy snapped. The idea of spending the night in the well suddenly felt very unpleasant.

"It's your fault we're here to begin with!" The king raised his voice, but he wasn't as angry anymore, so when the druid boy didn't speak he continued. "My people will come looking for me, just sit tight and wait it out. They will get us out of here." He was starting to feel tired and cold, but didn't want to chance falling asleep in the chill of the night, and figured the boy was having similar thoughts.

Leigh stood still for a moment, with his back towards the king and thinking of what to say to him, but eventually he stepped back to the wall and flopped down on the ground with a huff. Arthur was right, but he wasn't going to admit that to him. In truth, he's been calling out to the other druids for a long while now, but they seemed to be far away, and with the growing darkness even they wouldn't be able to find them. He pulled his hood up. It was getting colder with each breath and falling asleep has tempted him. He rubbed his eyes and kept calling out.

_Curses._He tugged at his hair. He really didn't think this through. But he had no way of knowing there was a damned covered hole in the ground that could ruin his plan! He'd just wanted to speak to Emrys. To tell him how his people need him; to tell him that he would be much safer with them, that his place is amongst his people and to just let kings fight out their wars and not be part of that, putting his life on the line and protecting those that have hunted them for decades. He felt so sure he can convince him; but right now Emrys wasn't talking to anyone. He had jumped in front of the king without knowing what the spell was and would do to him. He protected the king.. not caring about the cost. It was something the young druid didn't expect to happen.

Leigh looked at the warlock. He didn't want to think about what would happen if the man never wakes up. _No._ That cannot happen. Besides. He was breathing and seemed just fine. Only asleep. - Something _Arthur_ was supposed to be doing now instead..

The druid looked at the king. He seemed distracted and tired. Leigh wondered if casting the spell again would knock the Pendragon out enough for him to wake the servant and talk to him, but somehow, being so close to the blonde, he didn't feel quite as brave to do it. He also had a feeling the king would slap him without a thought if he started chanting something, especially after what had happened.

He decided to wait. There wasn't much else to do anyway.

The king was lost in thoughts, trying to figure out how long it will take the knights to come looking for him. He wondered whether their horses had run off, and who would find them; or would they simply run back to the stables after dark. Arriving without their riders would surely alarm the stable hands and they would rally the people to go looking for their absent king. He thought about the hot bath he will take once back at the castle.. That notion got him thinking how Merlin probably shouldn't be the one drawing the bathwater.

Arthur looked at his manservant again and wondered where he could've gotten injured, and why hadn't he noticed before. Why hadn't Merlin just told him to begin with? Thinking back, the younger man did seem a little slow and careful in his moves, favouring his right hand, even when pulling himself on the saddle or carrying equipment. His pondering was disturbed when he heard rustling of leaves, and talking.

Leigh was the first to get on his feet.

"Hello! Anybody there?" He yelled before Arthur could yank him back and hold a palm over his mouth, signalling for him to be quiet.

"What?" The druid broke loose as a torchlight came to view and stopped at the edge of the hole, along with some ragged looking shadows gathering at the edges. The king recognised them easily.

"These men aren't here to help us.." Arthur swallowed uncomfortably and spoke so low only Leigh could hear it.

"Why?" The boy looked at him confused.

"Lookit lads, we got ourselves a king..!" A hoarse voice yelled and the rest of them erupted in mocking laughter.

"That's why.." Arthur mumbled.

**.*.**

**Next one: Next week x**


	2. Chapter 2

_**DOH..! Oh my gosh guys! I'M SO SORRY! I Uploaded this**__**, but forgot to actually post it.. ugh.. sorryyy I'm silly.. (Thanks for the heads up dear Guest!)**_

**Oh, wow! O.O I feel blown away by all the lovely reviews and your welcomes! Thank you all for jumping right on this little fic :p It's great to be back indeed~ **

**I see you all took a liking to silly little Leigh (it's a celtic name by the way, and it means "healer" :).. And here I was, about to kill him off.. (ehehe, I'm so mean, I know.) Shall see shall see~ I also have a different take on Merlin in this one. It's in S05 after all. He is more mature, more determined and dare I say.. angry. Despite the sour taste of S05 left in all of us, I did like this aspect of him.**

**Guest-reviewer/Jan/08: _A very good observation there.._ **

**Some side-notes. **Started reading "In Misery" by DwaejiTokki. Awesomeness! .Read~** Sia's "Elastic Heart" clip is something I'm obsessed with now.. Shia Labeouf's preformance is just beautiful and the duo of him &amp; Maggie is just... dynamic!** Song called "Awam W Snine" from ****Babylone is a beautiful beautiful tune! .Have a listen! ** Else: _Who is excited about 'Testament of Youth'?_**

**..aaand back to fic-land now.. on with the show!**

**.*.**

It was cold. He could feel it, and no amount of shifting could fight it off. He tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail; he tried to make himself smaller, but the cold was uncomfortably there in his limbs and on his skin and he couldn't simply ignore it, so eventually he decided to open his eyes to see what he could do about it.

It was dark.

Merlin furrowed his brows and wondered for a moment if he had left the window open again, but then noticed the scent and sounds of the forest and the humid ground under him and sat up in a jolt. His shoulder pinched a bit, but he gave it no more attention than a hand on his injury.

He was in a …_hole?__?_

It was pitch dark and the only light he could see were the stars peeking between the trees above him, with a hint of moonlight coming from somewhere. The warlock was about to mumble a confused _'Where the hell am I?'_ to whomever that might answer, as he peered around, but figured it's best if he keeps quiet, not knowing who might actually be listening. He frantically ran his hands over himself, but minus the few bumps and sore spots, he felt in one piece and uninjured. Even his shoulder felt a bit better. _He was alive!_ – Strange how he needed confirmation for that, but it all felt weird not being able to see even the tip of his own nose.

Merlin tried forcing his eyes to see, but nothing really took shape in the darkness. He stretched a hand out met moss and stones. He prodded the earthen wall; it was real enough, but he just couldn't figure out what had happened and how he got to his current location. Then, slowly, his memory started to come back of earlier events and it had him enveloped in a most uncomfortable feeling of dread and panic in no time.

_Arthur!_

Last thing he could recall was pushing Arthur out of the way of a spell.. He had registered some sort of numbness taking over him with rapid effect, but the rest of that was a complete blur. What happened to Arthur? And who was the caped attacker? And it was dark! _How long has he been out?_

He wanted to get up, but there was something weighing down over his thighs and legs. He reached to push it off without hesitation, but what he first thought to be a log, turned out to be a leg – _because logs don't wear trousers_ \- which needless to say, startled him even more. _Was it Arthur?_

The place seemed to light up a bit, as if on cue. - Merlin guessed the moon peeked out from behind whatever clouds were covering it. - In the chance, he avidly peered at the dim shape of the motionless body it belonged to, but after eyeing the unmoving figure in confusion for a bit he came to the conclusion that he is a lot smaller than the king, thus it cannot be Arthur. But that still left him with the question:_ But then, who is it?_

He scurried out from under the weights, getting to his feet with great speed and backing away. A slight dizziness made him wobble on his feet, so he leaned back against the wall.

Merlin's head felt heavy and thoughts came slow, as if he were tipsy, - minus the cheery part that would imply – and the warlock wondered if whatever that spell was, had anything to do with it. He was contemplating checking on the person, - there just seemed to be something wrong with him, - whoever it might be, when the echo of a boy's voice in his head made him jump.

_"They are coming.. Emrys.."_ And the figure shifted enough for him to see it even in the dark, but soon was swallowed by darkness once again.

It was clear he was a druid, and a young one as well.

"Who are you?" Merlin spoke, his voice a little hoarse from misuse, still a bit wary of who his companion might be.

"My name.. is Leigh.." The boy croaked and from his voice the warlock quickly figured, that his companion must be hurt.

The warlock pushed himself away from the wall and moved to approach him, putting a hand on the wall in front of him, to be sure he doesn't just fall on the youngster. _Damn, he was dizzy, and the darkness didn't make things easier either.._

He peered above them, trying to make sure there isn't anyone else nearby, - not that he could tell, - then he crouched down next to the druid and summoned just a speck of a dim light in his palm, only as much to see who he is talking to.

A tear soaked face stared back at him with much regret and fear; lips and chin dirty with blood but face pale, almost white otherwise, save for a bruise on his cheek. His dark eyes seemed familiar, but the warlock gave it no thought.

"I am.. sorry Emrys.. so.. so sorry…" he started to cry, then whimpered in pain and Merlin looked to find where he is hurt, while trying to calm him. A bloody patch on his abdomen he held with both hands was an obvious one.

"It's alright.. It's alright. You'll be fine." Merlin muttered. "What happened?" He asked and glanced at him, then turned his attention to the injury. Peeling away Leigh's cold numb fingers, all he could see was dark red, and best guess was a stab would that bled so much.

"I'm sorry… they .. took the king.."

"Who took him?" Merlin looked up for a moment, but kept busy to see to the wound, peeling away the cloth to have a better look. It was a horrid gash to the stomach and physician's practice or not, Merlin found himself swallowing at the gruesome sight.

"Bandits.. while you were out.. I'm sorry Emrys…"

"Not your fault." The warlock shook his head. He figured the druid may have tried to stop them, but being only a child he couldn't do much against the brutes, more so if that cloaked figure was working with the bandits. Merlin did wonder how a druid happened to come along just at the right time. And how did they both end up in this hole..

He put his palm over the wound and cast a spell to knit the flesh together, but it did little for the blood already spilled and he could only hope the spell was strong enough to reverse the damage. The sudden rush of magic made the boy whimper and flinch, but he said nothing about it.

"I'm sorry I.." he repeated.

"Shh.. don't talk." Holding the small light in his palm, Merlin turned left and right trying to find something of use. He doubted he will find anything, but it also gave him a good chance to look around in their location and probably a way out.

As suspected, he only saw debris and fallen leaves and branches. Taking another look, he'd also noticed the boy's left ankle to be in an awkward angle and figured he will make use of those fallen branches after all to make a splint. But then Merlin spotted something that distracted him; something that seemed awfully familiar. Once it dawned on him on what it is, he grabbed the cloth and held it up for Leigh to see as well.

The boy looked at it and then met Merlin's furious gaze that in the dim light looked even more haunting.

_"Explain."_ He hissed and all of a sudden Leigh felt like he'd rather be facing Arthur in all his might and glorious Pendragon anger, then to see someone he admired so much to be so pissed off at him.

Merlin was holding the end of Leigh's cape, and he didn't know what to think when he recognized it to be the same cape their attacker was wearing.

The druid boy didn't know what to say. All the speeches he had practiced and played out in his mind were suddenly lost and forgotten, and he did the only think he felt capable of in his current condition: he started crying. Big crocodile tears ran down his face and it just made his pain increase and he coughed and struggled to be still but couldn't stop himself from crying.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… 'tis.. I was.. I was the one that at-tacked you.. "

The warlock stared at him, but said nothing, clearly too upset. In the next moment he threw the edge of the cape at the boy and stood, closing his palm and with it the globe of light vanished and they were once again in complete darkness.

Leigh couldn't see him, but could hear he stood and paced and he just felt horrible.

"I'm.. srr… Emrys.. plleasss.."

"Shut up.."

It was worse than anything.

He was in pain and feeling cold. He was in _agony_. As a physician in training he _knew exactly_ just what kind of damage a knife can cause and felt sure he had lost a lot of blood as well. The king was missing. Emrys was angry at him.. It felt overwhelming. '_But.. he is the greatest sorcerer that walked the land.._' Leigh thought. If anyone, he will figure it out, and.. clear up the mess he, Leigh, had made. The thought that Merlin was just a man, and he had his limits, never occurred to him. He had too much faith in him..

_It won't matter though.._ he will surely die soon. Coming to terms with that was something he considered only adults were capable of doing; it made him feel a little bit mature, doing it himself. Though he felt distraught at the idea, but he was sure there will be no way out of this one. He had called out to the other druids and he got an answer.. but it will be some time till they find them and he felt too worn out to do anything else.

He will die and with him the mistake of his life. He tried to find comfort in the fact that at least the warlock is alive and well, and finally awake.

After a bit of silence Merlin seemed to have come to some resolve and Leigh could feel him crouch down next to him once again. He wondered if the warlock will simply kill him, and at this point he felt it would be salvation from his pains; and justice, and perhaps that way, he could also earn the man's forgiveness.

_"Tell me what has happened._" Merlin said in a colourless tone, but his voice rang in the boy's head, signalling to him to speak telepathically instead, so he doesn't cause himself more pain by forcing himself to speak. In the meantime Leigh felt Merlin's magic hover over him once more and the warm sensation above his abdomen returned.

The boy felt immensely grateful, almost to the point he started crying again, but he held it back and instead obediently started telling him about his intentions and the miscalculations with the well, how they ended up in it and how bandits have found them. They took Arthur out and left him, Leigh to die, presuming Merlin was already dead. _"They spoke of ransom.. for the king.."_ He finished.

_So at least, Arthur is safe until that. And they can't have gotten far, certainly not back to Camelot,_ Merlin concluded, but he still couldn't understand why a druid would attack Arthur. Was this another one of Morgana's tricks? Using a real druid this time. Perhaps the child was tricked himself to doing this.

_"Why did you attach us?"_ His voice was firm and his anger was bubbling. Last thing he needed was to have to fight off druids as well, and Gods know, all his problems always started with druid boys venturing into his life; along with all the other threats looming over Arthur's life. Why would they do this to him? Don't they know how important his mission is? How important _Arthur _is?

_"Why?"_ He asked again, more harshly and felt himself unmoved by the boy's tears, rather enraged by what he just heard.

"I.. I wanted to talk to you… Emrys. I wanted t.. to ask you to join our.. camp.." Leigh forced himself to speak loudly.

"No." Merlin shook his head.

"Your p-place is with us, Emrys! N-not with a king that .. I.. I just.. w-wanted to talk to you… to conv-vince.. Come with us..! Leave the king and.. be s-safer with us.. he treats you like a servant, Em-mrys.. You are much greater t-than that! You.. d-deserve better!"

"Arthur is a good king." Merlin cut in. He was getting a little fed up with hearing insults on the sovereign. Gods know, he could be an arrogant clotpole at times, but at the end of the day he always tried to do his very best and give his all to the kingdom. "He is a great man and he will unite the land of Albion. He will set magic free."

"He.. will never.."

"He had pardoned the druids years ago, or did you not know that?"

Leigh just stared and didn't reply. He _didn't _know that. Theirs was a recluse little camp. Always on the move, always hiding. It was the only thing he knew. And word from the rest of the world reached them only seldom.

"I was born to serve Arthur. 'Till the day I die. And I am proud to do that." Merlin said with much conviction, but the druid was still confused.

"But.."

Whatever the boy wanted to say next was cut short as Merlin suddenly planted his palm over his mouth and peered up at the sound of footsteps approaching._ "Shh.."_

_"It's alright, Emrys. You are safe."_He heard a man's voice and recognizing the druid, he slowly stood again.

Torches appeared above the well and with them, people wearing capes. They moved quickly and efficiently, fastening ropes to nearby trees, then lowering them into the hole and working to get the captives out.

"Was this your idea?" Merlin pointed the question at the one silhouette standing still while others moved about.

"I assure you, we had no knowledge of Leigh's intentions, up until he called out to us and revealed what had happened." The man answered as the first druids landed in the hole and Merlin stepped back, giving them room to get closer to the injured druid boy and tend to him. Knowing there isn't much he could do, he moved towards a rope to pull himself out of the hole.

It took him a bit more time then he would have liked, and in the end he accepted the druid leader's hand to pull him up. Finally on the surface he peered back to see the druids working on lifting the youngster onto a stretcher, that's just been lowered by someone. The effort of climbing out got him slightly breathless and dizzy once again, but it also ebbed his anger away.

"Are you injured, Emrys?" The man asked.

"I'll live.." Merlin mumbled and moved his shoulder to realise it indeed feels better for some reason. He looked at Leigh again. He felt torn between wanting to make sure he was alright, and wanting to run and find Arthur.

"Don't worry, we will take care of him." The man said as if reading his mind.

"They have taken Arthur." Merlin turned to him.

"I bid you farewell, Emrys, and good luck on your search. It's up to you now.."

"Wait.. Aren't you going to help me?"

"I cannot put my people in harm's way. It is not our way to meddle in affairs of Camelot."

"Aren't _you_ part of Camelot?" Merlin spat. "Your _king_ is out there and needs help! _I_ need your help to find him and save him!" He pleaded. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I am sorry, Emrys." The man spoke in the same monotonous, unperturbed voice, but making it clear that the druids won't go looking for Arthur, and he moved to help the others.

Merlin just stared at him as he moved away. It got his blood boiling again, and felt tempted to ask if it's alright to put _him_ in danger; destiny or not, he still was only _one man!_ It fuelled his anger more, thinking how druids just wait in the background, not ever getting involved and waiting for _him_ to do everything to get them their freedom. Only ones ever doing anything for him were of the Catha, rest of them chose to sit the fights out and wait to see who wins.

He was fuming, but decided not to waste more time and headed off with zest, thinking he can sort out his thoughts better if he's on the move, and at least getting closer to Arthur.

_"Find.. our king, Emrys.."_

It almost made him turn around, but he kept going. The druid boy no doubt overheard their discussion. _At least Leigh came to his senses_, he figured, but it didn't help much at this point. He was still angry.

Merlin was dashing though the forest, trying to find Arthur. He had put some great distance between him and the well already and his side was starting to hurt from the rush. He'd just untangled himself from some branches of a bush when he came to a halt, realising something. _He had no idea where he was going!_ Bandits have taken Arthur, yes.. But they could be _anywhere_! He couldn't even be sure he was heading in the right direction, for all he knew they could be at the other end of the forest by now!

He turned around and around looking for some sign, as he was catching his breath and each and every direction of the wilderness looked the same: dark, haunting and motionless. He raised his arms and pulled at his hair, resting his hands on top of his head and felt completely lost, looking left and right. _Now what?_

It felt like a hopeless task to try and find them in the dark of the forest, but he knew he can't give up. If the bandits wanted ransom, they were keeping Arthur alive. But 'alive' and 'well' were two different things right now, and if they had no trouble attempting to kill off a child, he was sure they weren't exactly kind and hospitable towards the king. He still had time.. but time was running out.

He was contemplating using a tracking spell when he heard cracking of wood. He held his breath focusing on his hearing, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from or if he had heard it at all. Perhaps an animal or just a branch that broke._ But there is was again!_

Finally he caught sight of movement to his far left and started sneaking towards it. The moon shone from behind the clouds just enough for him to recognise a human figure and he was convinced it was one of the bandits. Otherwise, who in their right mind would go for a stroll in the forest at this time of the night?

He approached the man with long cautious steps, ducking behind trees and bushes until he was close enough to actually see him, but the brigand didn't seem to notice. He was lazily picking bits of fallen branches and wood off the ground, collecting firewood and concentrating on the task, completely unaware of the warlock's presence.

There was a shout and roar of laugher somewhere in the distance and Merlin felt hope swell in him as well as a sense of urgency wash over him. _They must be near!_

There was a time he would have sneaked around the man and maybe knock him out with a piece of wood, but by this time his focus was solely on Arthur, thus a flash of golden in his eyes sent the bandit flying back at some trees. There was a sickening crack on collision and the man slumped down on the ground, having no idea what hit him.

The warlock waited for a moment longer, to see if the man stirred or whether there was someone else nearby, but as silence settled in, he moved towards the motionless figure and checked him over. Surprisingly, he was merely knocked out, but the servant cast a sleeping spell on him for safe measure, then took the man's dagger and sunk it into his own bootleg. After another moment of listening and trying to guess which direction the noises were coming from, he was on the move again.

Merlin finally came upon the campsite. It wasn't hard. The outlaws, being proud of their catch and sure of their ransom were quite rowdy and made it easy for the warlock to find them. He sneaked closer and closer trying to make as less noise as possible. Once he deemed his hiding place in the bushes to be close enough to have a clear view of the camp, he frantically searched for the king.

He easily spotted Arthur across the camp, and was relieved to find him well and awake, though gagged and hands bound behind him. The blonde was sitting at the bottom of a tree with a straight face, as much as a gag would allow it, and needless to say he wasn't happy about his predicament. _But at least he was alive.._

_Now for the bandits.._ They mostly sat around a camp fire, some resting on their sides, others just sitting. They talked, and cheered, and Gods know where from, but they even had some ale to celebrate with. The small cart behind them suggested it wasn't their first looting that day.

Merlin counted some eight men and started wondering how to get rid of them. He could go and get help, but the bandits might think to leave; or he could wait until they drink themselves senseless and pass out, as the way some of them started to sing tavern songs, it really looked like it was heading that way, however he didn't want to leave Arthur in their presence any longer than necessary. Who knows, they might remember some hurt from long ago and in their drunken state they might think to carry out revenge. He could clear the lot with magic in no time, but Arthur was awake and he doubted the king wouldn't get suspicious if bodies fly left and right and then his manservant appears out of nowhere to save the day. That would require too much explaining. On the other hand a sleeping spell might do, but that too might be suspicious for the king. _Damn it, why does he have to be awake?!_

Another man surfaced from the shadows with an armful of firewood, right across from Merlin's hiding place and he made his way towards the fire in the middle of the camp. At this, it crossed the warlock's mind if there are any other bandits in the forest that he might have missed, but decided to wonder about that later and just sneak up behind Arthur and see what he can do. He was already backing away, however his thoughts were cut short when something smacked him on the back of his head.

Sharp pain; everything flashed white for a moment, then on came the darkness and he vaguely registered falling face first onto the bush.

The darkness didn't last long however, as he was coming to, while being not to gently dragged into the camp, by a strong grip on the back of his jacket, along with his neckerchief.

"Lookit what we have here!" A gruff voice spoke from behind him, but he felt too dizzy to react. Besides the neckerchief was digging into his neck and significantly blocking the oxygen intake from him. He tried grabbing it to pull it back, but having his whole weight against it made is seem impossible; and in his confused, dizzy state he couldn't find his footing fast enough.

The bandit then decided to pull him up by the scruff, so Merlin eventually got to his feet, but could only catch a glimpse of a big bearded man approaching him, when said man's massive fist found his way straight to his stomach, and the punch left him breathless and strengthless and he doubled over in agony. The next moment he was let go and he dropped to the ground. All he could do is curl up and cough.

There was laughter and some of the bandits got to their feet with glee. A beating was always good entertainment, especially if they weren't the one on the receiving end.

The pain was complete torment and with his head feeling very sore as well, he felt he will either pass out or throw up any minute, but he squirmed and forced himself up, only to be kicked again and he fell on his shoulder which didn't exactly help.

This time he did cough up some of his stomach's content. The bandits roared, but their sound was still muffled through the ringing in his ear.

He took huge gulfs of air and tried to focus and get back up. The warlock managed to catch the next boot that was heading his way and for a few seconds it was a game of tug, with the bandit balancing on one leg, trying to get his other one free, and Merlin hanging onto it for dear life. Eventually he got a good grip and twisted it without a thought, sending the man into a fall screaming, and he landed nearby, cursing and gripping his ankle. As a reward someone kicked him from behind and he arched his back and groaned.

The others stood around laughing, convinced that the dark haired man was no threat to them and they were closing in on him, eager to deliver the next punch or kick, but not really rushing it. What fun would it be if they didn't make it last.

Merlin however had other ideas, and the current turn of events certainly needed a new plan of action. He didn't waste time, though he was still coughing for air and the world was wobbling dangerously in front of him, he got to his feet with as much haste as he could, and the bandits let him.

He spotted movement from the corner of his eye and saw another man trying to have a go at him. This time he was ready though and moved out of the way of a fist and delivered a punch of his own, that sent the brigand flying back with a moan and tackling someone that happened to stand behind him.

"He means business, this one!" The big one shouted and laughter roared from his men. He put a hand on Merlin's shoulder and as the servant tried to shrug him off, the bandit caught his wrist and with a quick move he twisted his arm behind him roughly.

Merlin let out a shriek. It was his left arm.

Even the bandit jumped at the sudden scream. Arthur winced, looking at his servant with sympathy, knowing exactly why Merlin had reacted that way. No doubt the hold on him was pulling at his wound.

"That's enough there, laddy." The bandit hissed and the next moment, he was back to business. He held Merlin firmly, pulling out a knife and setting it against his neck to make him stop squirming, and slowly turned him to face Arthur. At this point the king stopped yelling into his gag and watched wide eyed what was about to happen.

"Now.. Your pretty little servant came after you, _Sire_.. I thought you said he was dying. _He don't look too dead to me._" He tugged at his arm again and Merlin involuntarily groaned as response, squeezing his eyes shut. All the other hits he received were aching but it was all dull in comparison to how much on fire his shoulder felt at the moment.

"How am I to trust you, when you can't even decide if your servant is dead or not?" The bandit spoke, accentuating every other word with a tug on Merlin's arm, each sending fire though the warlock's injury, and making him groan just a bit. "Or maybe I should just sort it for you, Sire.." He said with a sinister glare and pressed the knife tighter to the servant's neck, drawing blood. Merlin involuntarily gasped at the feeling and tried not to flinch a muscle. Arthur was screaming something again into his gag and shaking his head vehemently.

"Should I kill him, lads?" He shouted with a grin, aiming the words at his men while holding Arthur's look of dread, and there was cheering around them.

Merlin was holding very still. His head was still spinning, but he thought now would be a good time to use magic. Come what may, he will use his gift to get them out of this mess and figure something out later in terms of explanations – _at least they will be alive to argue about it._

He was a breath away from a spell, however amongst the roars of _"Kill him!"_ and _"Finish him!",_ the knife suddenly disappeared and Merlin breathed out in relief.

"Nah.. I have a better idea.." The bearded man spoke and licked his lips, ignoring some of the disappointed groans from the others. _"Shut up, you filthy lot!"_ He snapped at them eventually, but kept his gaze on Arthur the whole time. "If the king likes his servant so much, he can buy him back once _he_ is bought back by his wench queen." And there was cheering yet again for the idea. "_IF_ he can afford him, that is.." he added and laughed. "Are ye even worth that much?" He sneered at the warlock giving him a shake, then turned to his men to join them in their merriment.

Meanwhile Merlin decided the distraction could be his best ally in this situation, and in a rushed tactic he whipped his head back, aiming to hit the man in the face, but he miscalculated the bravado, only hitting the bandit in the chin.

The leader dropped the knife in the commotion, but he was more surprised than injured and his other hand stayed firmly on the warlock's wrist.

The next minute retaliation was swift and painful.

A dull pop and Merlin felt as if lightning hit him. All he could do is scream once the man pulled at his arm in a rough tug. Searing pain bit down hard on his shoulder with its burning teeth and the world was spinning and his stomach was rolling and when the bandit finally let go of him, he fell to his knees holding his shoulder and he feared he will just topple over and pass out.

Arthur was tugging at his restrains, but to no avail. Two men stepped up and grabbed hold of the servants' arms and tied his hands around his back. The whole time Merlin had his head bowed and was wobbling dangerously, only coming out of it when he got pulled again to stand. He got to his feet with a groan and it seemed he had his fire back again.

"You won't get away with this…" he started, but was quickly met with a backhand from one of the men to shut him up and he nearly fell again. At this point Arthur started feeling really sorry for him. The man clearly didn't know when to back down.

"Yeah, yeah I heard it before.." the leader said in a bored tone and a wave of the hand, and didn't even look at him, turning to have his cup filled with ale again. "Put him next to his precious king.'' He spat the order and Merlin was gagged and lead towards where Arthur was sitting. However, once few steps away from the king, his clumsy feet seemed to get caught in something and slipping from his captors' grip he fell on the ground with a muffed mewl.

"What a clumsy idiot! Are you sure you are the king's servant?" One of the men exclaimed and some of them were howling with laughter. He leaned to grip him and pull him to his feet, but Merlin was trying to kick out again, and the bandit had to step back. He then did an awkward somersault, as if trying to get to his feet; his ankle slamming at the tree trunk and nearly hitting Arthur in the head in the process and the bandits were in stitches.

Finally the man having had enough of his stunts, manhandled him back to a sitting position before he could do anything else and half tosses him against the tree. Merlin emitted yet another mewl through his gag, but sat still, panting.

"Check if he has anything on him." Someone called from the group and the bandits' hands were roaming through his body; checking his belt, jacket, legs of his trousers and his boots.

"Nuthin'!" He grunted the answer almost disappointed. "_Don't. You. Move._" Then growled, pointing a finger at him, but Merlin just looked at him with a defiant glare that said he would bite his finger off if he weren't gagged. The bandit however ignored him and tied the warlock's ankles together, before getting up to join the rest of the group.

Arthur watched him leave and then sharply turned to look at Merlin in a "_what-have-you-done-you-idiot_" way, but was taken aback by the sight.

Merlin was still eyeing the bandits in a sort of grim determination, but his face was glistering with sweat and he was breathing low and heavy. It quickly crossed Arthurs' mind that his shoulder may be causing him pain and involuntarily glanced at Merlin's left shoulder next to his, but of course he couldn't see anything.

Arthur's patience was wearing thin however, thus he gave the servant a shove with knee, and Merlin finally turned to look at him. The king couldn't hide his concerned look, the man looked pale, but in the same time he was annoyed why the manservant came after him, instead of getting help. - _And just how did he get out of the well?_

At first the servant's eyes didn't betray anything, but then of all things, Merlin winked at Arthur and shifted, as if trying to get comfy._ – As comfy as one can get with a shoulder feeling on fire._

For a moment the king just stared at him with furrowed brows, not entirely sure whether his servant has finally lost it, or he indeed had something up his sleeve. Oddly enough, he went with the second option and with some strange reassurance that there is a plan, - _whatever it may be coming from Merlin_, - Arthur straightened his back, leaning against the tree and looked at the group.

He hated the wait, but from the looks of it they had nothing better to do, but wait.

**.*.**

**Next chapter: soon... ****Thank you for reading~ Reviews encouraged and much appreciated~**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well now..I said _"Friday"_ and then RL came around and said _"Oh really?"_ So that's that. (I got a new job btw, yay!)**

**So yes, first of all, this has been a most stubborn chapter to put together, but the good news is, it's not the last chapter. There is more to come! Second, the response for this fic has been amazing! I want to thank each and every one of you who read it and cared to post a review. I really appreciate it! With most of you, I'm glad you are on board with the idea. Season 5 gave us a more serious and determined Merlin and I found that to be fun to explore.**

**And there have also been some waves of disappointments. Sorry folks, I have read some pretty OOC stuff, and I feel I don't quite fall into that. I put warnings in the summary to be sure, but this is how I envisioned this fic and well...we will all just have to deal with it. **

** Anyways.. Thank you for your patience with me.. hope this chapter can make up for the wait. Thank you all for the reviews again!**

**And so... on to the fic~!**

**.*.**

Waiting wasn't Arthur's favourite things to do. He realised this over and over again.

Time passed slowly while sitting in one place and he started feeling cold a long time ago. Being further from the fire didn't help matters either. His limbs were going numb from the ropes, so he moved his hands and feet as much as he could without drawing the bandit's attention to himself. Seemed like his hunting trip was all about getting out of one disaster into another, and he inevitably wondered if he will get back to Camelot in one piece.

A little while before Merlin showed up, the leader, Regh, was toying with the idea of sending one of Arthur's ears to the queen. To prove that he means business. Arthur shivered at the thought. He was grateful it didn't come to that.

Some of the men have started to calm down in their cheer and were falling into an alcoholic induced sleep, but others were still singing about that certain farmer's daughter with the pretty eyes and a swinging skirt; (_"~behind the hey-hey-haystacks, there she waited for me~ pretty wee thing, with her skirt swinging~")_ and the king was convinced he will keep hearing it for days in his head, if they don't stop. –_ If they ever get out of this mess._

Arthur ran his gaze around the dark of the forest outside the reach of the camp-fire's light. Waiting; hoping to see shades of his knights coming to the rescue; quietly approaching to ambush the band of brigands. - But there was nothing there. And any shape he did think to see, he noted it to be mere tricks of his tired imagination. It started to feel like torture on its own, to sit still in the cold and not being able to do anything about it.

He wondered if Merlin got help along the way, or what his plan was, _if_ there was one at all, because.. _because _he was being Merlin and an idiot. - _He could have just gone to get help, but no..! - _And if he did have a plan, then when would it get in motion? Arthur couldn't help it, he was getting impatient and irate.

He glanced at his servant at the frustrating thought and again saw the man intently looking at the bandits; but by now he was shivering. And along with the sweat he could see on his face, he even seemed paler then before. Arthur kept stealing a glance at him puzzled, wondering what may be the cause. Was it his shoulder or was it something else, he was _yet again_ unaware of. He didn't doubt Regh's vicious grip and the twisting of the man's arm did no good for that shoulder wound;_ whatever it was._ It troubled him that he couldn't even ask because of the gag.

Not knowing the clear cause, but seeing the man next to him in obvious agony felt like a punch to the gut. Merlin was also still. Very still. While the king moved his feet and shifted every now and again, his servant was trying his best not to move a muscle. Even his breathing was forced and cautious. Arthur guessed the reason must be pain, thus he avoided nudging his shoulder, and was careful not to do so even by accident.

A thud caught his attention and he picked his head up as laughter followed, when one of the drunks fell to the ground. That ale seemed awfully potent for a small barrel, Arthur thought, watching them. Seemed like they already had drunk twice as much. -_ And then it dawned on him_: _what Merlin's mighty plan was;_ and though he wasn't happy to sit on the chilly ground while the bandits drunk themselves into oblivion, he did see that that was their best option. _It was going to be long night.._

.

Meanwhile Merlin distracted himself with counting the bandits down and guessing who will be the one to go next; occasionally giving a little magical nudge. Sitting next to the king of Camelot and being gagged however, made him feel quite limited.

Earlier, in the midst of his little fight, he had enchanted the barrel for the ale to be stronger, but these men seemed far more used to drinking, then to be taken out fast by it. Which was quite troublesome. - _Even Gwaine would have been snoring by now._ \- It crossed his calculations, for they should have been on the move already, but then again, today hasn't really been his favourite day of the week.

Merlin prayed his shoulder was only dislocated and the burning pain was just a nerve twisted and pressed the wrong way, though it felt like his skin and muscles were ripping themselves up. He also wondered if the stitches were torn. He couldn't really judge by wetness, as he was sweating from the pain. He didn't dare to move, but the shivering from the cold still had him twitching and gasping and biting back groans, as it sent waves of agony through him. The odd dizziness came around from time to time as well and it made his stomach feel funny. He tried to breathe steadily and_ could hardly wait for all this to be over._

The warlock felt Arthur looking at him every now and again, but he avoided looking back. He knew the man was getting impatient, and perhaps worried, and he too was feeling cold and tired, but he couldn't do anything about it. They had to wait. He didn't mean to get caught, but as he did, they will just need to improvise a plan and make the best of it.

_It won't be long now,_ he kept telling himself, but the ale wasn't quite working and time just dragged on. - Painfully slow. More than that, as some of the men passed out the rest of them got merrier. The warlock was itching to just throw them all across the clearing and be done with it, but he held back.

His vision sifted, the edges of his sight going dark and he picked his head up blinking rapidly. He had to stay awake! He didn't want to draw attention to himself by falling over or shifting too much; more so that he was sitting on _their salvation!_ They just had to wait it out till the bandits passed out.

.

_Time dragged on._ \- Merlin was still as he could be. Attentive to the bandit's moves, as to when and how to nudge them towards unconsciousness; clinging with his everything on focusing on that, as his shoulder felt consumed by the searing pain and his head just felt heavy. The cold air felt good on his skin in one moment and bad in the next, though he knew being drenched in sweat didn't make a good combination for it.

.

_Time seemed still._ \- Arthur tried to drag his attention away from his manservant, but he found himself getting more and more worried, when every now and again the man swayed as he sat and would catch muffled moans and shaky breaths coming from him. Yet he kept looking ahead and the king wondered if he's even aware what he is doing. His shivering had become constant at this point, thinking at least the gag kept his teeth from clattering.

.

_It took forever,_ but it slowly got quiet and Merlin decided it's time to make their move. He carefully shifted towards Arthur, as to not to make a sound.

The king looked at him trying to figure out his motive. He couldn't decide if Merlin wanted to turn around or get closer or if he was about to lay down and take a nap, but then he felt something sharp poke his thigh and he flinched and nearly yelped in surprise.

Finally Merlin looked at him, and by the Gods, the man looked horrible, even in the dimmed light of the camp-fire. However he had that spark of focus in his eyes, and an air of adrenaline, that made the king feel he needed to sober up, for the time to act was now. The servant motioned with his head and feeling around Arthur quickly found a blade. It cut his finger at first and he hissed, but he grabbed for it nonetheless, and manoeuvred it to cut his ropes; keeping a hawk eye on the bandits, should any of them stir.

For a second he wondered why Merlin hadn't just cut the rope himself, but instead he focused on getting his hands free. He made quick work of the rope then quickly cut his binds off his ankles and reaching over did the same for Merlin's feet. He then got to his feet keeping an eye on the sleeping lot, he reached to grab his servant.

He realised too late what he was doing and by sheer habit, he grabbed hold of the man's arm in attempt to pull him up. Merlin flinched and groaned and squeezed his eyes shut and held back, what was sure a scream, with great effort. The king winced and his hand moving to his jacket at the back of his neck instead. He was convinced, escape or not, another tug to that arm and Merlin would scream, even if he didn't want to.

The warlock seemed curled in on himself and looking like he was about to pass out, but the king gave him no time. He pulled him to his feet from his jacket and grabbing hold of his other arm, once the servant was on his feet, he made a quiet as possible retreat into the darkness of the forest dragging the man after him. It crossed his mind to least grab a sword from the bandits, but he didn't want to risk waking them, because that would mean they would be back where they started from; if not with more ropes around them and a guard, probably even a beating beforehand. _The dagger will have to do._

Arthur gave his servant a push to get running and he didn't need to do it twice. Merlin was quick on his feet, even if a little wobbly. The king kept peeking behind whether any of the men would stir, until he lost sight of them, then took up to leading them though the forest, this time looking back from time to time to make sure his servant was still following him as they headed deeper and deeper into the thick wilderness, trying to get as far as possible from the camp, and trying not to make too much noise while at it.

Merlin decided to keep a little distance from the king. On one hand, to listen if there was indeed stirring behind them; ready to turn around and make sure whatever follows them is swiftly dealt with. On the other, to keep from getting continuously slapped in the face by the bending branches the king pushed his way passed. The _clotpole_ forgot to untie his hands and that made navigating rather difficult. Not to mention each time he stepped on something unexpected and tried to regain his balance it jolted his shoulder in most unpleasant way, but for now getting away was most important, and anything else just had to wait. _He prayed not to trip on anything._

They stopped eventually when Arthur considered them far enough and breathless enough, and with the knowledge of safe distance put between them and their captors, he turned to Merlin, only now realizing he hadn't cut the man's gag or set his arms free.

"No wonder you haven't said anything.." he said between pants. Merlin gave him a grimace and a not too friendly look that was hard to miss even in the dim moonlight and turned around so the king could cut his binds. "And here I thought you learnt to shut up." Arthur added, trying to ease the tension.

"You'd miss it too much." Merlin said in a hoarse voice with a tentative of a smile, after he reached up and pulled the gag out of his mouth, as he was catching his breath.

Arthur had many things to say but decided to focus on his breathing instead, thus he just shook his head at the man with half a smile, as he put the dagger in his boots, but then he caught sight of Merlin's arm and his stomach made that uncomfortable drop again. The servant's arm was just swinging at his side. _No wonder he didn't cut his own ropes._

"Merlin.. your arm.." but instead of a reply he found the man's palm over his mouth. "Sh!" The manservant even seemed to hold his breath as he listened intently and peered at the forest around them. From the far distance there was ruckus, and it was an easy guess, that their captors must have noticed their absence.

"We have to keep moving, Sire." Merlin whispered quickly and urged the king to get going again; and just like that they were on the run anew, rushing passed bushes and trees and as the terrain got rocky they tried to find their way around the boulders and steep earthen walls, without making much noise, or Gods forbid, run into a dead end and lose precious time.

Meantime the shouts sometimes seemed distant, other times close, as the echoes of the bandit's yells toyed with them along the boulders, and it just made them more tense; the prospect of getting caught, more threatening. Their hearts were beating in their throats, and each loud thud drummed in their ears, and they tried to will their wheezing breaths to be quiet, as if it would give their location away.

Arthur kept glancing back, to be sure he spots the enemy first and not the other way around; a task made difficult by the fact that the moonlight didn't quite find it's way into the thick of the forest. He hoped that helps conceal them as well from the bandits. The king was also making sure his servant is still behind him; but Merlin was holding it together, with his right arm gripping the left, he was always a few feet behind the king, however the next time Arthur turned around he saw the man suddenly stop, as if listening to something. The blonde man jumped to grab him to keep going, but then the warlock motioned to the other direction with his head and without a word he started running up a hill to his left. Arthur was baffled, but followed, cursing under his breath and looking around more, but soon realized what Merlin had heard.

A river was near and the steep banks lead to a wide rocky shore and glistering darkness stretching across in front of them, the other side disappearing into a dark line of trees. For a moment Arthur tried to remember the various maps he would stare at during meetings and figure out where they could be, but his mind was too unfocused. Getting away was more urgent now.

"We should cross.." Merlin panted looking at the sovereign. The river was wide at this point and should the bandits reach this way, they will be exposed and on the open, and Arthur knew, drunk or not, they will shoot at them with arrows to get their catch back. _Dead or alive._

He hesitated and looked around however there was no hiding place, no alternative.

"Arthur, we _have_ to cross." The servant spoke again and the blonde had to agree, the only way out seemed to move forward, so with a nod it was decided.

Merlin quickly found his way down the slope and surprisingly made it without a fall and soon Arthur followed. The banks seemed high on both sides. Dark across the river, more exposed on their side of the stream. Old tree roots protruding from the half caved in walls and random patches of grass grew that had roots strong enough to hold onto the tumbling earth. _They could hide under the roots_, the king thought, where the soil caved away, but trees still stood in their place; it would make a good hiding place, however it would be risky. They would be putting it all on chance, not to mention there could be snakes hiding in the cracks, and snakebites were the last thing they needed right now. _No, the only way really was just forward._

And so with a wordless agreement, forward they went; across the muddy shore into the dark river.

The water was mercilessly cool in the night and their boots got soaked in quick, and as further they went the deeper it got, eventually washing against their thighs, and they couldn't help gasping at the chill. Arthur seriously worried if they lose their footing they would get washed away downstream, no doubt slamming against a couple of rocks along the way. The water however, as cold as it was, wasn't in a rush in this particular area and for that at least he was grateful.

Watching their steps only meant not falling on the slippery stones on the river bed, they couldn't do anything about the splashing sound they made, luckily there were boulders and rocks and stuck tree trunks the river splashed around enough water to cover most of the sounds of their movement.

There was moonlight again and it made the crossing that much easier, yet it made them vulnerable and easy to spot. Arthur also wondered if the river gets any deeper, they will need to swim, and with that thought he peered back at his servant, thinking how Merlin will manage swimming with that arm.

Just then he spotted something on the tree-line behind them that made him take a double look, and the next moment he was diving towards his servant with panic and urgency and Merlin didn't even have time to ask what was happening.

Arthur made sure to plant his palm over the warlock's mouth before he crouched down behind a bigger boulder and dragged the younger man with him – _into the cold water._

Merlin flailed for a second in his shock and tried to breathe as he felt the cold water reach up to his neck, sounds nearly escaping into a shout, his jarred shoulder also protesting, but the king's hand only allowed a muffed moan to escape. He caught on quickly to what was happening, so just squeezed his eyes shut and focused on keeping quiet and baring the icy assault and gripping his shoulder.

Arthur had no doubt the sudden chilly water did nothing for their well-being, he too was breathing heavily through his mouth, - _Cold cold cold! - _but with their bodies in the water and head behind the stone it was unlikely they would be seen. _Better the cold then to be caught again._ He held Merlin firmly and once the servant got his footing under water and understood what just happened, he eased up his hold on him and let the man pant and get used to the cold water.

Voices could be heard now and more and more came. Shouts and curses and the breaking of branches filled the night silence, but it still seemed distant in comparison to their hearts drumming in their ears.

Servant and king peered at each other. Arthur then inched closer to the edge of the boulder as he tried to catch a glimpse of their pursuers. He quickly caught glimpse of the torches, - like floating flames in the darkness, what had alerted him in the first place, - and saw the human shapes moving along the trees. He was surprised the bandits have reached the river this fast; he thought they were much further from their camp-site, but then again, they could have been running in a circle all this time, without realising where they were in the dark of the night.

The bandits were a little further up from the spot Arthur and Merlin had gotten down to the water, where the river bank was much steeper and higher. They were armed; waving swords, torches and some gripping crossbows, yelling and arguing as they ran their search; the moon was lighting them perfectly at that moment.

One of them must have stepped too close to the ledge, the king thought, when the ground gave in and someone stumbled down with a scream and coming to a frightening crunch at the bottom. Arthur hissed in sympathy as there was more yelling and the ground just kept grumbling and yet another bandit slipped along with the earth giving in. _Such luck,_ Arthur thought.

All the while Merlin was peeking at the scene from the other side of the boulder. His teeth were clattering in the cold, but his eyes were determined and whenever they flashed gold the land obeyed and slipped from under the feet of the brigands. He was praying it would discourage the men enough to want to avoid approaching the banks any more than they already have.

There were shouts and commotion and Merlin felt Arthur pulling closer, to be certain they won't be spotted. The moonlight wasn't on their side at the moment either and the waiting yet again was tense. _They couldn't stay in the water forever!_

A couple more boulders rolled down and the outlaws decided to back away eventually, when no life signs came from their fallen comrades and they came to the conclusion that the king and servant probably didn't run this way. Finding their catch obviously more urgent then seeing to their fellow outlaws, they moved further away from the river to continue their search elsewhere. They were still shouting and yelling at each other, unknowingly giving signals of their whereabouts to the king, thus when they seemed far enough that even their torchlight couldn't be seen, Arthur thought it safe enough to make another move. He patted Merlin's back to signal for them to get moving.

Getting up however felt challenging, with their limbs gone numb in the cold water, and even once on their feet, moving felt exhausting. For the first few seconds their bodies felt heavy and the air felt warm in comparison to the chill of the river, but the trick quickly faded from their perception and shivering and shaking took over.

Arthur didn't look back this time, it was enough to hear his servant's splashing steps and pants behind him to know he was keeping up. He set his sight on the other side of the river and kept going. Relieved to see the darkness of the trees unfold and up close he could see a worn pathway of hardened earth among the greenery of bushes and moss covered boulders. _At least climbing out will be easy._

At last they reached the shore. The shallow water licked he rocky bank slowly and only their heavy footsteps stirred the silence as they made their way into the safety of the trees that were leaning over the water. They climbed up and out of the water, following the small path up through the thicket and only stopped when they reached grass and were behind yet another line of bushes on the edge of a clearing. The field was still lit by the moonlight, but they stayed under the trees. They were safe from the bandits, and the feeling was overwhelmingly comforting.

Here they finally could catch their breaths. Arthur rested his hands on his knees and sucked in precious air as his heart pumped violently in his throat and ears and his whole ribcage felt vibrating with each thud. He then looked up at his servant who was leaning against a tree with his eyes closed and probably feeling the same, tough maybe a little worse off, still gripping his left arm at the elbow.

"Your.. arm-m.." Arthur panted, then straightened up. Merlin didn't move, nor say anything at first, which worried the king a bit.

"Jst..dis..lock-ckated.." he spoke eventually through clattering teeth.

"Let me..see.." Arthur stepped close and his servant finally looked at him.

"Nerve.. it's..ah.." Merlin tried to explain, but the words died off into a groan as Arthur touched it. It just felt on fire. The water seemed soothing when they were in the river, but that didn't last. The edges of his vision were going dark every now and again, but he was fighting it with all his might. "Need to.. p.. an.." he tried again, but Arthur cut him off.

"I know.. w-what to do." The blonde spoke. He's seen enough dislocated shoulders on the field to know how to handle them.

Merlin looked at him and nodded then started to slide down, until he was sitting on the ground with his back against the tree, thinking it would save him strength if standing is one less thing to focus on.

Arthur immediately noticed he looked very pale, but figured the moonlight must be playing tricks on their vision and he probably has bluish lips himself, after a dip in the river. He tried to be gentle but at this point he knew this was the only way. The warlock gasped, then bit his lip instead to hold in his groans as the king pushed his hand under the wet jacket and felt around his shoulder to figure out how the bones were. He was aware of the injury and thought about checking it, wondering for a second what Merlin would say when he finds out that Arthur knows about the bandages, but figured bones first, flesh later and just tried to avoid pressing at it as he checked on his servant's shoulder.

"Okay…" he said eventually and looked at the man. "Ready?" Merlin started rummaging through the leaves and finding a piece of branch he bit down on it, looking at the blonde with determination, he gave a short nod.

Arthur moved his arm slowly and Merlin tried his best to keep his muscles relaxed as possible, made difficult by the tense shivering, but then a sudden pop and the servant jolted and screamed against the piece of wood biting down hard. He kicked at the leaves and moaned long. He panted trough the wood with a moan escaping every now and again and kept his eyes squeezed shut.

Arthur kept his hand on his shoulder and looked at the man with sympathy, half-heartedly expecting him to pass out. He was certainly looking it, but Merlin just reached up to take the piece of wood out of his mouth and tossed it to the side.

"We n-need to get warm." He said in a hoarse voice and finally looked at the blonde, but kept his head tilted against the tree.

Arthur couldn't not notice the wetness of his eyes, but said nothing, simply nodded. "I think I know w-where we are.. There should be a v-village on this side of the riv-ver.." He left out the bit, that he had no idea where exactly, but his servant nodded and that was enough. "I'll m-make a sling for y-your arm." Merlin picked his head up at that, but Arthur was already tearing up the bottom of his shirt.

For a second Merlin thought of protesting, as he will be the one having to mend the shirt, but figured it's best to have his arm steady as possible. Besides, he can always do the mending with magic, and that gave him an idea.

"We should.. make a f-fire.." He said sluggishly and looked around for some wood. _Lighting a fire would be child's play with magic!_ In a weird way he had come to accept the shivering even if his limbs felt in numb pain because of the cold, but he felt convinced a small campfire could warm them up nicely. _And then maybe he could also get some sleep.._

Arthur looked up at him with furrowed brows. The suggestion sounded off, but he noted it to the desperation for some warmth. He was shivering as well, but kept moving. He knew the only way out of this was to keep moving and to keep focused.

"No.." He said shaking his head and tore another strip off his shirt, then moved towards his servant. As tempting as a fire was, he knew it would do them no good without shelter and wet clothes on their backs, and he also knew the danger of it. Merlin just looked at him almost hurt, so he continued "The b-bandits could s-still be near.. could see the f-flames..n.. smoke."

The servant slowly nodded, but still didn't seem convinced. Suppose they will find some place to go first. He sat up as straight as he could and let Arthur make the sling. His shoulder still hurt with an odd stinging and burning feeling, but it still wasn't as bad as before, even if he couldn't really move it. He felt light-headed and exhausted from the couple of hours enduring it.

Looking out onto the field to his right and saw trees and bushes and land that seemed endless, and lit in an odd silver light from the moon with no village in sight, near or far. _At least they can see where they are going now._ He looked up at the sky between the leaves and noted their path should be clear for some time, as there were few clouds on the night sky. Suddenly the moon had a dark aura and there were other black dots jumping in front of his eyes.

_No.. _He groaned to himself and squeezed his eyes shut, then blinked rapidly._ He had to stay awake._

Arthur, misunderstanding the sign, had a hand on his shoulder immediately and looked at him with concern, but instead of asking the pointless question whether his servant is alright or not, he hurriedly finished tying off the makeshift sling, then got up and proceeded to pulling Merlin to his feet as well.

"Come on, Merlin. We got a village to find.." He hissed as he nudged the servant to get going. He only got a grunt as reply, and even though he too wanted nothing do with more walking and his every cell protested against the idea to go and do anything else then find a place to lie down, he willed himself to keep moving. He followed his wobbling servant out onto the field, and for lack of any better ideas they just started walking upwards along the river.

They walked in silence for a while, each hugging themselves against the cool air of the night and forcing one step after another. Arthur felt tempted to give voice to his concerns, especially since Merlin was unnervingly quiet, but decided he is too tired and too cold for banter, so just continued walking, without any true notion of time. Crickets and birds made all sorts of noises around them, sometimes close, sometimes in the distance, but informing them, that nature's creatures are aware of their presence, even if the men cannot see them.

Arthur wasn't one to be spooked easy, but he found it distracting and unnerving for some reason. Once again, he was feeling impatient and annoyed with their predicament, and decided to keep close to Merlin. _Just for safe measure of course. He wasn't scared or anything._

"What.. are you doing?" Merlin asked after a while of walking, when he noticed the king fiddling with his jacket.

"It's wet. I need to t-take it off.."

The servant stopped and looked at the sovereign battling with the piece of garment. "I don't think t-that's such a good idea.." He spoke eventually. He was pretty sure he read somewhere that long exposure to cold will start to affect better judgement after a while, and that included irrational undressing.

"I'm the king, M-merlin. And I can take off m-my clothes if I want-t to.."

"Wet clothes is b-better, then no clothes.." Merlin mumbled, but judgement clouded, the king ignored it.

"There." Arthur said in triumph once he managed to peel the wet jacket off of himself and defiantly looked at his servant as he slammed it down on the ground, then continued to march ahead. He felt more confidant all of a sudden, as if he had just removed the very obstacle in his way that was keeping him grouchy and weighing him down, - even if he was practically shaking from the cold and felt more exposed to it now.

Merlin spared a look at the discarded piece of clothing, then moved to follow the king. He wondered if he should take his jacket off as well, but knew he couldn't from the sling. Arthur had tied a piece of the cloth around his torso, holding his upper arm tight against his body, while another strip held his wrist to his chest, though a loop that went around his neck. All this to keep his shoulder from moving too much, and it definitely kept him from taking any garments off, so he gave the idea up and wondered instead when they will find the nearest settlement. "Sh-shouldn't we be near Am-ber Hills by now?" He chanced once he had a look at the silhouette of the mountain ridges up ahead, - _after they stopped jumping around that is._

"No.. We're s-somewhere around the Bearing F-fields.. 'nd there should be a v-village called Laewaes-s up by the river.." The king said through clattering teeth and was once again hugging himself as he walked with great big steps.

Merlin left it at that. His mind was too fuzzy for orientation and map discussions. "Looks very dif-ferent at night.." he said and tried to keep up with the sovereign. However, his feet felt heavy and mind felt numb and the walk started to get more and more tiresome and mechanic.

Arthur kept his gaze on the horizon, focused on the shapes in the moonlight, to spot the signs of the village before they go off course. He felt invigorated and found walking uphill to be a good way to keep himself from freezing. He still felt bothered by his wet shirts and wet everything, but at this point he figured it just might dry on him if he keeps moving and warms up enough, even though the only warmth he felt was his erratic breaths leaving his mouth in the rushing pace he was walking at. It all felt like a good exercise to train his resistance; to keep moving and survive the night. He didn't even notice his servant started lagging behind more and more.

Merlin was breathless. He felt exhausted from the events and his shoulder had a lingering warmth on it that for some reason gave him a very bad feeling, but he couldn't quite think of a clear reason for it. _His arm was in a sling. Arthur tied it himself. What could possibly be wrong now.._

"Where are we going..?" he asked all of a sudden and stopped. _Because what was the point in walking? They couldn't just walk all night and keep walking until… something happened to come their way._ Panting, he turned around to look at the fields behind them. Could it be that the village was behind them? The moonlight gave the land an eerie silvery glow, but even if lit, there were only trees and bushes and fields for as far as he could see. He even spotted some deer running towards the treeline and marvelled how majestic they looked.

"I already told you.. Laewaes." He heard the king's incredulous voice behind him. "Come on, Merlin.."

"I'm so thirsty.." he mumbled still looking at the field, and thought he really should have drank some water while they were sitting ducks in the river. Thinking about it made him want water even more. _Maybe they should go back to the river_.. He was about to turn towards it, when a hand landed on his good shoulder and he jumped.

"Merlin!" He flinched at the sudden mention of his name, more so that the king's voice was right behind him. He didn't hear him come so close.

"Whoa.." Arthur quickly had his hands up in a placating mode, but was eyeing his servant with concern. The man looked at him confused, and the king quickly came to the conclusion that the man couldn't possibly look worse. Both his sickly pale feature and his behaviour made alarm bells ring in the blonde's head and it made him sober up.

He suddenly remembered that his manservant was injured. He pondered for a second if he should ask if it's the wound or the actual shoulder that's causing the discomfort, but stopped himself just in time before asking it out loud. It also got him slightly angry to recall that the servant hasn't been honest with him about it.

He wanted to ask '_Are you alright?',_ but blurted out "What's wrong with you?" instead.

Merlin lifted an eyebrow and was about to release a torrent of complaints on the man, but Arthur cut in before he could open his mouth. "Nevermind." _Of course he's not alright._ "Let's just keep going.."

They continued their walk, getting closer to a line of trees, and Arthur became more and more convinced that they are on the right path to aforementioned village, but Merlin didn't share his enthusiasm, and started dragging his feet more and more. Eventually Arthur had to pull Merlin's good arm around his shoulder to support him and continue walking, instead of having to wait for him every now and again to catch up; but he could feel his servant growing weaker. It puzzled him how a dislocated shoulder and a soak in the river could have that effect.

He was so focused on keeping the man uptight and walking, that he didn't notice the sight in front of them after they emerged from the treeline. Only after a second look did he spot the man-made shapes in the bushes and the dark grid of fences, as well as some towering dark chimneys with low smoke coming out of them and dim lights through a windows.

"We made it.. _we made it_, Merlin! Look!" Arthur thought he has never been this happy in all his life. They were so near to safety at last!

"Village.." Merlin said almost incredulously. It all seemed unreal and dream-like and keeping up with Arthur in his renewed enthusiasm and quickened pace just felt exhausting and too demanding.

His feet started to buckle, but he didn't bother to apologise. _They had found the village, so why keep walking? They can stop walking now.. He should really stop walking.. and just go to sleep, even if he felt so cold.. and thirsty. Maybe have a drink before he goes to sleep.._

_"Hello! Anybody home?" _Arthur shouted all of a sudden and Merlin jumped in surprise at the sudden noise, but the king didn't seem to notice, just continued pulling him along, getting closer to the houses.

"Hello!" He shouted again once he saw what appeared to be movement in the night and he saw more lights were lit inside the houses. He was grateful and relieved and happy as the promise of some warmth was so near, but his joy was cut short when there was a sudden tug on his burden and his servant went limp without a sound or warning.

"_Merlin..?_ Damn it, Merlin.. _no!.."_ Arthur tried to keep his servant uptight, but it seemed Merlin's strength finally gave out and all the king could do is hold onto the man not to let him fall on the ground. Instead let him down steadily and crouch down next to him to see what he could do.

His face was pale and eyes remained closed even after Arthur shook him, gently slapped his face and called out to him. The king pressed shaky fingers to his neck, and after holding his breath for a couple of seconds, his cold fingers finally sensed a pulse; but it was far too weak and too fast.

"Help.." Arthur said wide-eyed, his own voice a mere whisper, the realisation slowly dawning on him that the servant was indeed in more trouble than the king thought._ "Help..!"_ His voice grew along with his panic, because it became evident that his words of encouragement and nagging to keep going was of no use anymore. _"HELP! We need help!"_ He shouted with increasing dread and looked up to see some shapes approaching. _"Please help us! Ple.."_ The words got caught in his throat at what he saw and for a moment he forgot to breathe.

_Out of a bucket and into a pail._ Arthur thought and felt an un-kingly desperation take over him.

The shapes were closer now, visible. He could make out villagers approaching, at least half a dozen of them, perhaps more, but Arthur didn't count. They were dressed plainly, obviously did so in a hurry too; looking determined in their stride and getting closer.

The only problem was that they all had stakes and tools and pitchforks in hand.

**.*.**

**And there you have it~ Thanks for reading~ Let me know what you think :)**

**_.*._**

**_Guest Reviews.._**

**_Dear Guest reviewer/18.01_****, firstly, thank you for taking the time to type a review and I am sorry you found chapter 2 disappointing.**

**Second, _"Some men are born to plow fields, some live to be great physicians, others to be great kings. Me, I was born to serve you, Arthur. And I'm proud of that. And I wouldn't change a thing."_ That is a text from the actual series, season 5, ep 13, Diamond of the Day.  
Can't say I made it up myself, when it's a canon statement.**

**And then there is the magic bit... Morgana nearly chocked him to death in season 5 episode and he did nothing; along with all the other times throughout the whole series where he took the hits and blunt of things, because he had to keep his magic hidden. Yes, he does go to ridiculous lengths to keep it a secret.**

**There are some pretty wild things written out there; what you just read, is quite mellow methinks.**

**Thanks again!**

** .*.**

**Next: The Blood Potion. No promises on when, as I clearly have a problem with that at the moment, but know that I am still writing :)**


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